I tumbled down the cliff, trying to specter to avoid the fall but was unable to. Every time I tried, I would lose my footing again and fall. Branches scratched my face and hands as I crashed into them. A thick branch hit the back of my head so hard I stared seeing stars.

I landed hard on my feet and I felt, more than heard, my ankle snap. I cried out as it happened, feeling the pain explode through my leg.

I felt Julian catch me in his arms then immediately pull me into an embrace. I felt us specter again and slam into the muddy ground.

Julian let out a string of curses as he lay beneath me, cushioning my fall. "I said to stay close, Emylin. Stay close."

I felt pain explode through my body. I didn't even have the fight in me to bite back a sarcastic response. My body ached. My head pounded. "Sorry," I whispered. "The tree just disappeared beneath me—"

He placed his palm on my cheek, his fingers in my hair. He tilted my face away from his chest where I had it and made me look at him. "Gods, Emylin," he said as he looked at me. His eyes moved between mine as he studied me. "How do you have this innate ability to fall from high places?"

I had to swallow my nervousness as I looked at him. Julian was so devastatingly handsome. His jaw was strong, with light stubble across it. His grey eyes were kind but full of worry that I didn't deserve.

My voice was hoarse. "I think I broke my ankle and hit my head."

He nodded. "All right, don't move. I'm going to put you on your back." Gently, he turned on his side, setting me next to him. I felt bile rise as I lay immobile on the muddy ground. I groaned in pain when he checked my ankle.

I gripped the mud under my fingers to stifle my scream from the pain.

He sighed. "Yes, it's broken. We'll take a break until you heal. Should be a couple of minutes." He set it gently on the ground and moved to my line of vision. He placed a soothing hand on my cheek. "How do you feel?"

I wanted to press my cheek into his hand but fought it. I hissed in pain as the pounding in my head seemed to intensify. "I think I'm going to throw up."

He sensed my playful tone and chuckled as he watched me. "It'll pass soon, just don't move."

I watched him as he watched me, his newly blonde hair falling across his forehead as he did.

"I'm not used to you blonde," I said quietly.

I saw him fight a smile. "Are you checking me out, Emylin?" I felt his fingers through my hair and I realized he was looking for a wound on my skull. "You must have hit your head harder than I thought." He shook his head and he glamoured his hair back to the black I was used to seeing him in. "I'm not used to you having black hair, either."

Gathering the little courage I had, I spoke again. "Congratulations, by the way." I still couldn't speak over a whisper. "I signed the law this morning. I'm sure you and Vy will be very happy together."

I saw a small frown crease his perfect brow.

I couldn't look away from his grey eyes. "After everything you've been through, you deserve to marry whoever you want as a Lord, even a Lady."

He didn't speak and for a moment I was afraid it was because of the way my voice shook at the end.

He smiled again and I could have sworn he was secretly teasing me. "Vy and I are not getting married. We are not together."

I frowned. Maybe I did hit my head harder than I thought. "What?"

He shook his head. "Vy is pushing this law for a friend. Not for herself. We are not getting married."

I blinked. "Are you sure?"

He laughed. "Very sure." He frowned. "Who told you that?"

Slowly, the haze was lifting. I was still frowning. As soon as I thought about it, I realized no one did. No one had called them out by name. Not even Asmo. No one said they were getting married. I made it all up in my head. "It was insinuated."

He shook his head. "Vyssen and I are not together anymore. That night in Skryen, when you visited, she showed up unannounced—she was trying to get me back after I broke things off. She doesn't like to be told no." He rolled his eyes. "You should have seen how she acted out those nights in Tartus when we went to return the Hounds. I turned down her advances repeatedly. She did not like that."

I frowned again. "You didn't sleep with Vy those nights?"

He shook his head. "I told you, she was saying that to make you jealous."

"But the parties at the Keep after I was made queen—"

His voice was calm and he spoke slowly, which I was grateful for considering the nausea I was trying to fight. "We were together then. But not now." He shook his head again as if disappointed. "That woman has the incredible ability to show up in my life in my weakest moments."

My head was spinning wildly.

"Once you left Skryen, she came to me and, well," he shrugged, "we picked things up where they left off decades before. I'm not proud of that." I could see it in the way he avoided my eyes. "It didn't work, obviously. She's destructive." He laughed after a moment. "You should have seen Naida's face when I told her I finally broke it off. She's always hated that woman."

I swallowed. "What about the deal with Damien? For information on where I was? You wanted to go to Tartus?"

He shrugged. "I toyed with the idea of going to Tartus and, yes, being together with Vy after decades apart. At one point it was the happiest I'd ever been. But I only focused on the good and ignored the bad." He shook his head. "I wasn't kidding when I told you you've been saving my life since I met you. You gave me a reason to live again."

I watched him with bated breath. I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

He smiled kindly. "I was drowning with Vy. When I was with you, I was finally breathing."

I swallowed.

"Training you, helping you to defeat Robyn, having a cause I believed in again —it gave me purpose. I saw it as redemption for what I failed to do. I took the opportunity as soon as Kymra presented it to me." He brushed my hair back from my face. "But getting to know you, learning to laugh again with you, falling for you was all by accident. Magic pull or not, I fell for you."

I felt my heart was about to burst from my chest.

He gave a half smile. "You can't imagine what it did to my ego when I had to let you go, watching you walk away from Skryen."

I snorted, rolling my eyes. "Your ego? Really?"

His smile brightened. "There we go. You're all better."

I laughed as he said it.

"To me. You can't imagine what it did to me to let you walk away." He sighed deeply his eyes never leaving my face. "I love hearing you laugh."

Hearing him say that he loved anything about me brought me giddy pleasure. Everything else seemed to melt away.

He'd fallen for me.

And I knew that I had fallen for him, too. Damn the magic pull I felt towards him. Even without it, I would have fallen for him. I came to fall for him, his kindness, his openness, his sarcasm.

I bit my lip as I watched him look over my features with tenderness I remember craving.

His eyes flitted over my lips and I heard him chuckle deeply. "You really shouldn't do that, Emy-"

I didn't let him finish, crashing my lips against his. His lips caught mine and moved against them and I knew, at once, that I would never let him go ever again. His arm moved around me and pulled me closer as he kissed me. I couldn't get enough of him. And I knew he felt the same way.

I felt it in the desperation of his kiss, the way he held me, the way he pulled back after to watch me.

His thumb trailed across my cheek as he watched me, fascination in his eyes. "You have no idea how long I've wanted to do that. I've had restrain myself every time I'm around you."

I laughed, my fingers leaving traces of mud across his cheek and hair where I touched him.

He kissed me again and I felt like lightning and fire was pouring into me. I felt the electricity around us, the lightning filled me and spread around me. His lips were soft as they moved against mine. His tongue brushing mine tenderly. And I melted anew, giving into the sensation.

Something settled within me and I felt both magic—dark and light in me. They weren't at war, they weren't fighting for dominance. They thrived in harmony, feeding each other—like they had been allies the entire time.

And they were. They were allies. I felt the recognition of it.

When he pulled away, his eyes suddenly shifted to the forest around us. He chuckled. "That's a new trick, Emylin, I have to admit."

I sat up as he pulled away and when I looked at the forest around me, I was at a loss for words.

The forest that had been completely dead now breathed life. The trees were full of leaves and flowers, the scorched, dark floor of the woods was now rich and full of luxurious grass. The wind blew through the rich canopy, the leaves shifted and moved gently.

And it all spoke to me. It ebbed and flowed with the comforting hum of life. The forest drew its breath of life from everything around it.

I could hear everything again and it wrapped me in a comforting embrace.

I laughed when I looked at Julian. "You're blonde again."

He nodded towards me. "So are you."

I grabbed a strand of my hair and smiled when I saw the familiar silver.

Julian extended a hand and helped me to my feet. I put weight on my foot, feeling that my ankle had fully healed. I stood still for a moment and laughed.

"What?"

"That ringing!" I looked up to where we had been before. Something told me we were going in the right direction. "We were really close."

He kissed me again. It was slow, sweet, making my heart somersault again.

When I opened my eyes again, we were in the same place we had been before I'd fallen. He extended a hand towards the trail. "Lead the way."

Excited, I grabbed his hand and spectered further ahead. Following the tug I felt in my core, I did it again. I reveled in the excitement of having my power back. I let myself get lost in it, following it as it led me back home.

Home.

Julian was right. I could feel the call of my magic finally going home at last. And everywhere we appeared, everywhere we touched, life sprung.

I had wondered what Elysium was like. It was something that I wanted to see for myself.

And finally, with Julian, I had the chance.

And there was no one else I would rather share it with.

Now everyone go back to Book 2 chapter 19 and you'll know who that song is about 😉 I didn't only pick it because he reminds me Julian or I liked how it sounded.

Also,

I've been holding on this foreverrrrr. Glad I was able to finally share it!